News

New Academy Set To Benefit Gifted North East Youngsters

(19 February 2002)

The brightest young people in the North East will soon be given the chance to stretch their abilities, thanks to a National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth launched by School Standards Minister Stephen Timms.

The Academy will benefit secondary schoolchildren between the ages of 11 and 16. Announcing that the University of Durham has been selected by the Department of Education and Skills to participate in the Academy, Mr Timms said:

"We ignore the needs of our most able young people at our peril – if we are to have a truly inclusive education system we must enable every single child to fulfil his or her potential, including those with exceptional ability."

The Academy’s activities will include:

- A ‘Talent Search’ offering innovative means of identifying and diagnosing ability;
- Summer School programmes;
- An innovative outreach programme;
- On-line learning materials;
- Support for parents and educators.

Richard Taylor, Head of Schools Liaison at the University of Durham, said: "We have been selected to participate in this Scheme because of our strong track record of providing activities for gifted pupils, including summer schools and masterclasses and our record of excellence in teaching and research.

"We will be holding a summer school for year 11 pupils across the North East from 21-27 July 2002."

During its pilot year, the Academy will concentrate on the most academically able 11- to 16-year olds, with distinct programmes for the most able 5% and the most able 1%. Later, it is expected to cater for older and younger students, as well as those with talent in specific areas such as sports or the creative arts.

The University of Durham is one of a network of universities that have been selected to participate in the Academy including the London School of Economics and Political Science and the University of York. The University of Warwick will lead the initiative with the help of two core partners: The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth in the USA, and the Research Centre for Able Pupils at Oxford Brookes University.

The University of Durham has about 12,000 students, approximately 17% of students come from the North East area. The Academy is the latest in a range of initiatives aimed at encouraging young people to think about university. As well as running summer-schools and masterclasses, the University also operates a bursary scheme designed to help potential students throughout the region, particularly those who come from families who traditionally have little or no history of participation in higher education.

Media Enquiries: Richard Taylor: (0191) 374 3734 or Anna Woodford (0191) 374 1805

Notes to editors:

1. Other universities, including the University of Oxford, may also become involved with the Academy as associate partners as it develops. When filling in an on-line form to register their interest in participating in the new Academy, young people will be asked to indicate which subject(s) are of particular interest to them. This information will be taken into account when planning Summer Schools, outreach programmes and other activities.
2. The government first announced its intention to establish an Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth in the White Paper, ‘Schools Achieving Success’, published 5 September 2001. ‘Gifted’ is used to mean academic ability, and ‘talented’ for ability in creative arts or sports.
3. The Academy can consider charging fees for some or all of its services, but must ensure that these are not a disincentive to pupils from relatively disadvantaged backgrounds. The Academy will make sure that those who cannot afford to pay do not have to do so. The Academy is expected to cost £20 million over the next five years, and will be supported by a combination of taxpayer funding, University, business and philanthropic support, with the eventual aim of making it largely self-funding.
4. The University of Durham offers a bursary, worth £500, to new undergraduate students in their first year. In order to qualify applicants should be under 22 years; have a parental income low enough to mean they don’t pay tuition fees and have a home postcode that starts TS, DL, NE, SR or DH